This is a book not only to read, but also to see, hear, and feel. The photography is outstanding and magical in its composition and depth that draw the onlooker into the center and the spirit of each image. Each photograph has a soul of its own, demonstrating why John Parkinson is an award-winning photographer.

Visual Verse: Art in Nature with Symbiotic Verse is a series of our American landscape photos paired with quotations composed by the greatest poets of the world. It comprises a spiritual journey that speaks to the brilliance of God and Nature.

Images in this book include those of the breathtaking Northern Rockies of British Columbia, Bryce Canyon National Park, the magnificent Grand Canyon, and the mystic Arches National Park in Utah. Poetry blends with 25 of the photographs in a manner that encourages the reader to begin again with the first plate after finishing the last. There are four sections in this poetic and photographic masterpiece: photos paired with symbiotic verse; glorious images of nature; five panoramic images to stun the senses; and Parkinson’s own narrative about his first 25 images.

This book is so refreshing that it can be described as a spiritual renewal. Parkinson includes some of his own poetry, which is a sure enhancement, but words alone cannot describe this experience. The eye runs across glaciers and mountains, islands and water, even constellations and deserts – it recalls in part the scenes of the film Contact in which the heroine travels through space-time dimensions and is confronted by the magnificent natural creations that she had not believed exist. Visual Verse brings about the same sense of aw awe as experienced in seeing Contact on a giant screen, sitting in the front row.

Poetry is visual wonder is music. All the human senses combine into one overwhelming entity in experiencing this masterpiece. One image titled “Celestial Light,” looks as if heaven is opening and an angel is descending, just for you. That is a hint of the worth of this book.